The University of Idaho held a ceremonial dedication to its recently finished healing garden and memorial Wednesday evening.
The memorial site contains a garden built as a place of healing and includes a central statue dedicated specifically to the four Vandal students who were victims of homicide in November 2022.
The memorial garden was designed and built by Vandel students from the University’s College of Art and Architecture.
The students responsible for the building efforts broke ground on the project in mid-May and finished around the beginning of August, according to Harper Drake, an Engineering major who assisted in the garden’s construction.
“The efforts for this specific garden began in earnest during some of the darkest hours for the University of Idaho,” said Vice Provost for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Blaine Eckles.
“I do not need to recount the tragedy that befell us on that dark day in November of 2022 when Kaylee, Maddy, Ethan and Xana were all taken from us. I knew within days of that horrific incident that there would be a strong interest in creating a lasting memorial to them,” said Eckles.
According to University of Idaho President Scott Green, the memorial garden project was completely designed, vetted and built by students with the guidance and advice of faculty. The students involved worked over the summer to finish the project, without earning pay or credits.
“Working on the project was super important to me. It was really rewarding to be a part of something bigger than myself and being able to give back to the community and the Vandal family has been really important. I’m super grateful that the university allowed us to be involved and trusted us with the process,” said architecture gradute student Syringa Riley.
The garden was funded completely by donations, including student-led efforts to generate funding, such as a wristband drive. According to Eckles, approximately $285,000 was raised from donations.
The ceremony also included a letter art piece intended to help people mourn their losses. The audience was welcome to write down any thoughts, feelings or ideas on a piece of paper.
People’s letters will also be held in a special collection that the University of Idaho library is archiving.
“The inspiration, thoughtfulness, and hard work that went into this beautiful venue should make Vandals everywhere proud. The student-led effort is much more than a project. It’s a community response to a great loss that visited our campus. The tragedy that struck our campus in November of 2022 provided the impetus for this effort,” said Eckles.
